The present invention relates to a cup holder in a vehicle. Conventionally, cup holders are located in a center console for the driver and front seat passenger and somewhere along the back of the front seats or in a rear console or arm rest for passengers in the rear of the vehicle. The cup holders are generally provided by a plastic or rubber cylindrical opening within the interior trim of the vehicle. The cylindrical opening generally has a diameter designed to receive a cup with an average diameter.
A problem with conventional cup holders arises when a cup having a smaller or larger than average diameter is inserted into the cup holder. When a cup has a smaller than average diameter, the cup holder opening is too big for the cup. This leads to the cup not being properly secured within the cup holder, creating a risk of the cup tipping over. When the cup has a diameter larger than the cup holder, the cup won't fit into the opening.
To remedy the problems associated with securing cups of varying diameters, cup holders have been provided with larger diameter openings having securing means disposed therein. The improved cup holders ensure that even large cups can fit in the cup holders, while smaller cups can be securely held with a reduced risk of tipping.
Two demonstrative mechanisms for securing cups with smaller diameters are shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The cup holders of FIGS. 1A and 1B secure cups with biased tabs disposed within the cup holder opening. The tabs are provided by defining holes along the inner wall of the cup holder opening and having the tabs project therefrom. The tabs are spring mounted to be biased toward the center of the cup holder. However, conventional embodiments of these tabs create new problems with the holding of cups in a vehicle.
The embodiment shown in FIG. 1A illustrates a cup holder 1 having a tab 3 rotatably attached to a pivot pin 5. The cup holder 1 has a cylindrical opening 7, with a bottom wall 9 and a cylindrical wall 11. The cylindrical wall 11 defines a tab hole 13, the tab hole 13 being sized to receive the tab 3. A tab top end 3a is secured to the pivot pin 5 and a tab bottom end 3b is unsecured. The attachment of the tab 3 to the pivot pin 5 allows the tab 3 to rotate in both an upward and downward direction. The tab 3 is biased into an upper position in which the tab extends into the opening 7 by a torsion spring 15, which is attached at one end to the pivot pin 5 and at another end to the tab top end 3a. A top wall portion 17 above the tab opening 7 serves as a stop to limit the upward rotation of the tab 3.
When a cup is inserted into the cup holder 1, a downward force is exerted on the tab 3. The downward force causes the tab 3 to rotate in a downward direction about the pivot pin 5, against the bias of the torsion spring 15. The tab bottom end 3b is thereby received within the hole 13 and the amount the tab 3 extends into the opening 7 is reduced. As the tab 3 is biased in an upward direction by the torsion spring 15, the tab 3 presses in a horizontal direction against the cup and thereby secures the cup within the cup holder 1.
With the assembly of FIG. 1A, it can sometimes be difficult to remove the cup from the holder. Specifically, the cup can sometimes get locked into the cup holder. As the cup is removed from the cup holder 1, the cup is lifted in an upward direction. The upward force on the tab 3 does not produce the same horizontal force as a downward force on the tab 3. Consequently, the tab 3 is not pushed further into the hole 13, and therefore does not create additional room for the cup to be removed. This problem is most common when a cup or other beverage container, e.g., a plastic bottle, having a base wider than the rest of the container, is placed in the cup holder 1. The wider base will press upwards into the tab bottom end 3b and push the tab 3 upward, which tends to hold the cup even tighter. In some situations, the tab 3 is prevented from rotating upward by the vertical wall 17, and the further upward force imparted by the cup will not result in the tab 3 moving horizontally further into the hole 13. Thus, as the tab 3 is not depressed to ease removal of the cup, difficulty in removing the container, or even the container getting locked into the cup holder 1, can result.
A further known arrangement is shown in FIG. 1B, wherein a cup holder 20 has a cylindrical opening 22 formed by a cylindrical wall 24 and a bottom wall 26. The cylindrical wall 24 defines a hole 28 through which a tab 30 extends. The tab 30 is mounted and biased towards the center of the opening 22 by a coil spring 32, and the coil spring 32 is mounted to an internal wall 34 of the cup holder 20. As mounted, the tab 30 is movable in a horizontal direction through the hole 28. Thus, when a cup is inserted into the cup holder 20, the tab 30 moves further into the hole 28 while remaining biased towards the center of the opening 22 by the coil spring 32. Thus, the tab 30 moves to create extra room for the cup while still pressing against the cup to secure the cup within the cup holder 20.
Unfortunately, since the cup is inserted and removed from the cup holder 20 in a vertical direction and the tab 30 is only designed to move in a horizontal direction, insertion and removal problems arise. In order to reduce these problems, the tabs 30 have been formed with a curved side facing the interior of the cup holder 20 to help translate the vertical motion into a horizontal force. However, it has been found that cups of larger diameter still have difficulty pushing the tab 30 horizontally if the base of the cup is too wide to catch the curved portion of the tab 30.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a cup holder that can accommodate cups of varying diameters, and adequately secure the cups to prevent the cups from tipping, without the problems associated with the securing mechanisms of conventional cup holders.